Vulnerable in Troubling Times
Revelation 1: 1 – 11a; 3: 14 – 22
What we believe about death informs the way we live our lives.
Revelation 1: 1 – 11a; 3: 14 – 22
What we believe about death informs the way we live our lives.
In troubling times we become vulnerable. Sickness, natural disasters, stress, loss, death, uncertainty, political unrest and threats all shake our confidence. We question our existence. The economists tell us that if we are anxious about financial affairs we spend less. This in turn cools the economy. When these things affect us directly we become uncertain, over protective, cautious and we question our beliefs. We may wonder where God is. We doubt our faith and ourselves. When we’re under threat we will go where we feel safest and do what we think will be for the best, even if that means compromise. In troubling times we risk compromising what we hold dear.
We feel we must do something. Of course, we must. However we often act too quickly. Christian thinking suggests we act before we pray. We end up doing what we think rather than what God thinks. I appreciate the latter is not always easy to determine.
The study groups have commenced a reading of Revelation. It is a letter to the churches in ‘troubling times’. I was a little surprised, as I prepared for the reading of Revelation, how much we have in common with those Christians addressed by the writer of Revelation. Their world was not very secure. Their faith was threatened by persecution. Their livelihood was threatened by political unrest and economic inequality.
When Revelation was written Domitian was the emperor. Domitian was a very authoritarian ruler and he promoted emperor worship. Christians were executed if they failed to worship the emperor at the local shrine. Though not universally and systematically applied the reality was there. The church had to face the question of loyalty to ‘king’ Domitian or loyalty to King Jesus. The writer of Revelation, John, was exiled. Revelation is written to encourage the church in a time of threat and vulnerability. Revelation provided the Christian with the understanding, that though they may face persecution and even death, God was Lord of history and Jesus had conquered death. So Revelation provides many pictures of the saints around the throne of God with Christ Jesus. Its final scene is that of heaven coming to earth and God’s welcoming, inclusive and beautiful city, the heavenly Jerusalem, being established on earth. A key to Christian theology, then and now, is that in the death and resurrection of Jesus, God has established the final word on death. Death has lost its sting. So John, the writer of Revelation, encourages Christians to stand firm in the faith.
But it wasn’t only the threat of persecution by the State that caused the anxiety. It was a time of general uncertainty and unease. After decades of peace in the Empire war erupted. In 62AD the Roman army suffered a major defeat at the hands of Persian horsemen each armed with bow and arrow. By the end of the sixties Rome had to respond to uprisings in France, Germany and not least Judea. The Roman army prevailed. The Judeans were conquered and Jerusalem and its Temple destroyed completely. Politically unrest continued after the death of the mad emperor Nero. Within 30 months of Nero’s death the empire had seen three emperors come and go and the fourth enthroned.
There were also natural disasters. In 79 AD Mt Vesuvius erupted utterly destroying the city of Pompeii. The Church was facing an identity crisis and major change. The founding leaders, the Apostles and first Christians, were dying and new leaders where emerging who could no longer base their leadership on being an eye witness. The Church was small and vulnerable. Christians from time to time faced economic marginalisation. They had to worship outside work hours. That meant they met before the sun rose on the Lord’s Day, Sunday. Christians faced the possibility of being falsely accused. The Roman governor, Pliny who witnessed the eruption of Vesuvius, has left us his correspondence with the Emperor on how to deal with Christians. One of the things he had to deal with was the false accusations against Christians. Up until the Judean uprising in 66-70 Christianity had been seen as a Jewish sect. Christians had enjoyed the same hard fought religious freedom the Jews had won. But now they distanced themselves from the Jewish war. Christianity had to stand-alone. This too contributed to its vulnerability.
Wars, economic uncertainty, political uncertainty, natural disasters and a vulnerable Church were part of the scene. Do you see the similarity with us in the West today? We face wars, the threat of war, economic uncertainty, natural disasters associated with climate change, and a vulnerable church trying to find itself again. Once we were strong, or appeared to be strong, but now we are numerically weak.
The other day I was invited with other ministers in this area to discuss the future of the local Uniting churches. When I arrived in 2010 I was asked to lead such a discussion. Now we are returning to that after a few interruptions from the Uniting our Future saga. Notwithstanding the frustration of these processes we must face this weakness and respond graciously and boldly to the inevitable changes that will come. Of the UCA churches in our area, Black Rock, Beaumaris, Sandringham, Cheltenham and Moorabbin (LUC), Cheltenham and Leighmoor are the strongest. But both are vulnerable.
I believe engaging with Revelation we can learn so much and also be encouraged. I ask you to read the book. I suggest you read it aloud to yourself. Read and listen and look at the word pictures it provides. (I have provided a few copies of an introduction to Revelation in the Narthex. More are available if needed.)
I understand that the message of Revelation is simply a one of standing firm in the faith, worshipping Christ Jesus only, relying on God alone for our salvation, and believing that our future lies in the hands of God. I firmly believe we should be living our lives in the confident belief that death is not the last word on our lives, but merely the gateway to life with God.
Waiting on God is not a passive activity. It is not a cop out. Waiting for something always requires preparation and expectation. We wait and in the waiting we are preparing ourselves for what is expected. We wait and in the waiting we open ourselves to new possibilities.
A final word. Do not believe the myth that if we get more children the church will survive. That is nonsense. Fifty years ago we had hundreds of children. Where are they? They disappeared for two basic reasons. Firstly, we failed them because we were too busy managing them. We were busy telling them, for example, that their music was too loud. Secondly, our education system and our society told them the lie that science had all the answers for life and the pleasures of self-indulgence were more real than religion. Children are not our future, our faith is. If our faith is genuine then others and our children will catch it.
What will secure our future is a faithfulness and commitment to Christ Jesus as the Lord of our lives. Children or a good minister or a new programme will not be our success, but our repentance and turning to God will lead to God’s success.
*******
Peter C Whitaker, Leighmoor UC: 07/05/2017
pgwhitaker@tpg.com.au
/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au
pgwhitaker@tpg.com.au
/ www.leighmoorunitingchurch.org.au